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Definition of dispatchnext
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dispatch

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word dispatch distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of dispatch are assassinate, execute, kill, murder, and slay. While all these words mean "to deprive of life," dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death.

dispatched the sentry with one bullet

When might assassinate be a better fit than dispatch?

While the synonyms assassinate and dispatch are close in meaning, assassinate applies to deliberate killing openly or secretly often for political motives.

terrorists assassinated the Senator

When could execute be used to replace dispatch?

The synonyms execute and dispatch are sometimes interchangeable, but execute stresses putting to death as a legal penalty.

executed by lethal gas

Where would kill be a reasonable alternative to dispatch?

In some situations, the words kill and dispatch are roughly equivalent. However, kill merely states the fact of death caused by an agency in any manner.

killed in an accident
frost killed the plants

When is it sensible to use murder instead of dispatch?

The words murder and dispatch are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, murder specifically implies stealth and motive and premeditation and therefore full moral responsibility.

convicted of murdering a rival

When is slay a more appropriate choice than dispatch?

The meanings of slay and dispatch largely overlap; however, slay is a chiefly literary term implying deliberateness and violence but not necessarily motive.

slew thousands of the Philistines

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dispatch
Verb
Denver limped into the playoffs as a 6 seed and was summarily dispatched by Steph Curry and Golden State, the eventual champs, over five games in the first round. Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 11 Feb. 2026 The rescue effort attracted diving experts from all over the world and even the attention of billionaire inventor Elon Musk, who dispatched his own engineering team that brought along a tiny submersible. Emilee Coblentz, Outside, 11 Feb. 2026
Noun
An officer shortly after observed a vehicle that matched a description provided by dispatch being driven south on Harvey Road near Hathaway Lane by an individual who also matched the suspect’s description, according to police. Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026 Across Minneapolis, secure group chats—like the grocery delivery dispatch that Kristen is a part of—have acted as nodes of organization. David Gleisner, Outside, 29 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dispatch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dispatch
Verb
  • The appeals court sent the case back to the lower court to amend the 2024 ruling.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Feb. 2026
  • In 2023, Alekseyev was sent by the Russian military to negotiate with Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner private mercenary group, during the Wagner group’s mutiny.
    Anna Chernova, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Democrats demanded new restrictions on federal immigration agents in exchange for voting to fund DHS after Alex Pretti was killed last month in Minneapolis.
    Riley Beggin, Arkansas Online, 14 Feb. 2026
  • Cuba said 32 of its citizens were killed in the attack.
    Sam Meredith, CNBC, 14 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Just days after lawmakers finished business, House DFL leader and former speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were assassinated at their Brooklyn Park home.
    Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 15 Feb. 2026
  • Similarly, moments after Charlie Kirk was assassinated at Utah Valley University, an eyewitness recorded and posted a TikTok video that went instantly viral.
    Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The Magic rallied from 17 points down to win 120-117, but the Jazz defeated the Heat 115-111.
    Mark Anderson, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
  • The Cyclones, who are 13-0 at Hilton Coliseum this season, have defeated the Jayhawks three straight years in the building.
    Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Writer Robert Kaplow, a former New Jersey high school teacher who previously worked with Linklater to adapt his novel Me and Orson Welles, worked on the story for this — his first screenplay — for roughly 14 years after discovering letters from a young woman to Hart at an estate sale in New York.
    Trey Williams, HollywoodReporter, 14 Feb. 2026
  • Both outlets reported that the letter included a demand for millions in Bitcoin cryptocurrency.
    Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 14 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • But Bad Bunny put a lot of vendors [in his performance], and that sent a big message that vendors are not criminals.
    Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
  • While Streeting was on-message with the rest of the Cabinet in supporting Starmer after Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar called for the prime minister to resign, the secretary reportedly spoke with Sarwar in the days leading up to the call for Starmer to resign.
    Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 10 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Shipwreck hunters have been searching the lakes with more urgency in recent years out of concerns that invasive quagga mussels are slowly destroying wrecks.
    Todd Richmond, Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
  • However, archaeologists faced a significant challenge—how to penetrate its secrets without destroying it in the process?
    Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 15 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The development appears to confirm accusations from Navalny’s widow and others that he was murdered by Russian authorities seeking to eliminate a threat to President Vladimir Putin.
    Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 14 Feb. 2026
  • Al-Qaeda murdered nearly 3,000 Americans on 9/11.
    Josef Joffe, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Dispatch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dispatch. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.

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